How do you get through the clicker!

[hooktonboy]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

I couldn't help myself after reading Shirt's and Hooktonboy's posts. So it's not my fault.

I really like that Geoff.

I think perhaps levity is the answer to all our problems! An archer I know says that just before completing the shot you should stop thinking about it - and think about something that makes you feel good. Her story is that she is thinking "chocolate cake"...... and as she is a lady I have to believe her absolutely.

So, is anybody else prepared to admit to what they might think of?

[geoffretired]

HeeHee Now that is a good idea!
Thou shalt not click a tin lid in thy neighbours hearing.
Thou shalt not take the name of thy clicker in vain.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's clicker control.
Nor his clicker: not his long rod.............Huuuuuughghghgh this could be going downhill somewhat.
Methinks I should stop right now!
Or NOw!

[geoffretired]

Hooktonboy, strange you should say that.Recently I have been working on pulling that last bit to activate my Loesch release. I have tried several different approaches. One is to smile at the appropriate time; not so daft as it sounds(even if I look daft at the time)
I have also tried thinking of things that are relaxing or pleasant (and still be the sort of things you could tell your MUM) e.g."I like shooting arrows this way."
What I find so far is that it takes the mind off what could be a misguided focus. It does work to some degree. The difficulty is not knowing how much of my shooting problem is fitness or form, as opposed to nervousness.
It's times like these when I would really appreciate having a coach/ mentor / friend to join in the struggle rather than going it alone.

[Snarkhunter]

Originally Posted by Robin the Hood

Geoff. What about writing the 'Twelve Commandments' of the clicker...

Paul

How about:

1. You shall not have any other draw length indicators before me.
2. You shall not make your clicker a false idol, but recognize its true place in your shot cycle
3. You shall not take the clicker’s name in vain however hard it is to pull through.
4. Remember your follow through and do not hesitate in anticipation of the clicker.
5. Honour your coaches or other wise and experienced archers who can guide you.
6. You shall not murder if the clicker goes off unexpectedly or otherwise misbehaves and totally screws up your shot.
7. You shall not adulterate you shot cycle because of tiredness or frustration.
8. You shall not steal another’s technique without understanding it.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your clicker and blame it for your own shortcomings.
10. You shall not covet another archer’s clicker, or bow or other archery kit, nor the way he or she drops arrows into the 10 ring at 90m.

[Barry C]

I think this is an interesting thread too. It is something I gave a lot of thought to and when I ask people I get a lot of different answers depending on what system the archer was taught in. Most are familiar with the expansion method given in Total archery where the click happens by relaxing the chest and squeezing the back. There is the push method described in Frangilli's book, where the bow arm pushes the bow out to the target which is the same that an ex Japanese Olympian and coach taught to me but they are not quite the same. There is the pulling method but also variations of it. People can pull with continuous motion with which the string decelerates up to the click, and also some eastern European Olympic archers who shoot with the thumb behind the neck have said that the string should accelerate after anchor has been located. And these are only the ways I have found I'm sure there are many more. There are many ways to come through the clicker which have all produced consistently high scores in their time. Of course for balance a push and pull is needed and I agree with McKinneys book in this area, that one is automatic and one is conscious though the technique and what moves can be different between a pusher, puller, a push puller and expander. It can be said to pull it until it clicks but there are many ways to do it.

I think mental imagery is very useful in this area and giving your brain a task to achieve can help the body perform the action needed. Imagary that has helped me use the clicker in various ways over the years are relaxing the chest for expanding, reaching the the target with the bottom of the arm for pushing and thinking about the draw elbow tip for pulling. I'm sure others can add their own helpful thoughts on this.

[geoffretired]

"One of the difficulties that arises from the clicker is that when it's used, it is immediately entered as a part of the first rule of drawing....ie. Let's get through that clicker."
Paul, it seems we think the same way.
This may sound daft, but I sometimes think archers would get on better with their clickers if they didn't know they had one. Imagine the archer being told, " You just shoot as normal, but if you hear a click, just let the string off your fingers."
We once introduced the clicker to a group of archers having coaching that followed their beginners course. Some did not have a clicker to fit to their bows on the first day. I told them to shoot as normal, but to continue the aim and draw until I clicked my fingers. It worked a treat!
I think the reason was, they had no reason to draw to any fixed point. There was no expectations that they would have to REACH a pre determined draw length. If they drew to their normal references and aimed and continued to draw; as opposed to stopping or collapsing; they heard a click and off went the arrow.
Yes, I know it was a fake in a way because they were not the producers of the clicks. The point I'm trying to make is that they had no need to get hesitant as the clicker drew close. It was agreed that I would make the click before they had over drawn. It was also agreed that if they collapsed I would tell them and they would abort the shot and start again.
If their draw length varied, it did not matter; I was only reacting to them reaching references and aiming and continuing to draw and aim. It removed from the equation one of the problems experienced by those new to clickers; that of it going too soon or too late.
The fact that they had a click, so long as they stuck to their plan, gave them the chance to relax and enjoy the success. Because they were relaxed, they learnt what they were supposed to learn rather than learning to get tense.
( I know that proper coaching would avoid the tension in the first place, but I'm talking of archers who were not getting ideal coaching. Their form had already started to drift into bad habits. They had coaching once a week and most had no opportunity to shoot between sessions. We did what we could in the limited time available.)
A week later, when they had fitted their own clickers, they did what they had done in the previous session. They drew to their references, aimed, continued to draw and off went the clickers. Because of the work they had done the week before, they were quite prepared to draw much further than they actually needed to. To them, the clicker seemed to be going earlier than normal, but not so early that they were unsettled. Most agreed that it was easier with their own clicker than with my clicking fingers.

[geoffretired]

Snarkhunter, That is a very clever list of commandments. I have to admire your insight and obvious experience. Brilliant post!
I shall covet your skill with words. And burn in Hades for it, no doubt.

[Mistake]

Originally Posted by hooktonboy

I really like that Geoff.

I think perhaps levity is the answer to all our problems! An archer I know says that just before completing the shot you should stop thinking about it - and think about something that makes you feel good. Her story is that she is thinking "chocolate cake"...... and as she is a lady I have to believe her absolutely.

So, is anybody else prepared to admit to what they might think of?

When i'm shooting and a slip into "the zone" i normally have a piece of music that i've been listening to on the way down, but have found that really difficult recently because my mp3 has been a bit iffy.. (moral of the story... if you want to beat me then steal my mp3 about a week beforehnd) and find that i'm not really thinking about the clicker at all, and react to it on an almost sub-counsious level (i shot a portsmouth a while ago and can only 'remember' the clicker going a few times consiously)